ContentsView article sectionsAbout Jang for KimjangWhat is “Jang”Dadaeki Without a RecipeThe Science of Dadaeki JangFermentation ProcessIngredients InterplaySugar and Sweeteners4. pH and Acidity5. Texture ChangesPotential Ingredients in DadaekiFoundational IngredientsSeafood or MeatOptional Ingredients:Processing the Vegetables and GreensKimchi Pul (풀)How to Make Kimchi Pul (풀)Types of Flours in Kimchi Pul (풀)Reasons to Include or Exclude FlourDeciding to Use PulJang Yooksu (육수)Putting the Jang TogetherTell Us What We MissedCulture NoteWant to learn more about making jang for kimjang? The following post is one of a series that seeks to capture aspects of this verbal tradition in English. The following post focuses on the sauce or ‘jang’. The information is for international families who wish to start their own community kimjang or English-speaking Koreans living abroad who may not have access to traditional information. Let’s dive deep into the information together. About Jang for Kimjang Around the world and across South Korea, you will find hundreds of different kimchi recipes with different jang (장) or dadaeki (다대기). Different factors impact how each family or company makes their jang for kimchi including 1) cost of ingredients, 2) family traditions, 3) local cultural traditions, 4) personal preferences, 5) purpose of kimchi, and more. Kimchi also changes with time as society changes and tastes change. As soon as you think you’ve seen all the jang options, you find a new one and learn all over again. At South of Seoul, we empower our community with the information they need to evolve and change with the times and their personal needs. The English information available online regarding the jang for kimchi often doesn’t include a wider look at the possible jang variations. Therefore, this post takes a deeper dive into information so that we might empower community members to make their own jang in Korea and worldwide. Of course, the first thing we need to do is talk about what jang for kimchi is since many folks might not know yet. What is “Jang” In Korean, jang (장) means sauce. That means that when you hear people talk about “jang” they could be talking about many kinds of sauce. For example, you may have heard of samjang, gochujang, etc. In this article, jang will specifically refer to the daedaeki (sauce made from chili powder) for kimchi. The dadaeki jang acts as the foundation of any “kimjang” event where we make the kimchi for winter. At kimjang, we don’t just make cabbage kimchi. We may also make fruit kimchi, radish kimchi, etc. We want the jang we use at our personal kimjangs to reflect our home and people. It doesn’t have to match anyone else’s tastebuds but our own. However, the jang does need to follow food science so that fermentation occurs in a safe and delicious way. Let’s dig into the elements of the jang used for kimjang. Dadaeki Without a Recipe The first thing you need to know is that most homes do not use a recipe for their dadaeki jang. We live off of vibes when deciding how much of each item we add. Instead of measuring everything out, we constantly taste the sauce until it meets our personal preferences. Everyone pitches in with their thoughts until the jang feels right. Of course, there are some rough measurements. For example, people may use a 2/1 ration of garlic to ginger. However, some people might not even use ginger, so it’s mostly vibes. Reasons exist for why the dadaeki jang at kimjang doesn’t follow a recipe. First of all, every year the ingredients impact the taste differently. Maybe you get salt from a different vendor, or the chili paste is spicier this year. It’s important to adjust for these little changes in the moment. Additionally, the amount of jang you make relates to the size of the cabbages or the number of cabbages. It’s nearly impossible to come up with an exact formula that would make a recipe reliable or useful. Therefore, we recommend taking the time to build a complex understanding of kimchi dadaeki jang. If you can, attend as many different kimjang events as possible while you live in South Korea or watch all the YouTube videos you can find. Also, start making small batches of jang at home and doing mini kimjangs every few months until you develop a sauce profile you really like. It might take a few times before you find the right balance. In short, practice makes perfect. The Science of Dadaeki Jang As we mentioned earlier, making jang is a science. The science behind the jang for kimchi involves aspects of biochemistry, microbiology, and food science. Let’s look at some of the core scientific elements that make the magic happen: Fermentation Process Ingredients Interplay Pro-Tip: You don’t want to use iodized table salt here. You need straight sea salt if at all possible. Sugar and Sweeteners Pro-Tip: If you cut out all the fruit and sugar it impacts the science. Even if you don’t like sugar, it’s needed here for flavor and food safety. 4. pH and Acidity 5. Texture Changes Pro-Tip: Pay close attention to this because you don’t want to use too much salt or too much jang when making your kimchi or it breaks down too much and gets weird. Potential Ingredients in Dadaeki Now that we sort of understand the science, let’s talk about jang ingredients. Remember, jang varies everywhere you go. Women in Korea will argue about the perfect jang if given the chance. Personally, we have participated in different kimjang and witnessed the differences in jang firsthand. We have seen a range of ingredients go into the jang and how the same family might make it a little different each year depending on what ingredients were on sale or what they plan to use the kimchi for during the year. Each time we see it made, we learn a little more about what’s possible. We also learn how the ingredients change the flavor of the kimchi over time. To compile the list of potential … Continue reading Making Jang (장) for Kimjang (김장)